CVE-2022-49505 NFC: NULL out the dev->rfkill to prevent UAF
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel NFC subsystem allows attackers to cause a denial of service or potentially execute code via crafted netlink messages.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2022-49505?
CVE-2022-49505 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 26 Feb 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
NFC: NULL out the dev->rfkill to prevent UAF
Commit 3e3b5dfcd16a ("NFC: reorder the logic in nfc_{un,}register_device") assumes the device_is_registered() in function nfc_dev_up() will help to check when the rfkill is unregistered. However, this check only take effect when device_del(&dev->dev) is done in nfc_unregister_device(). Hence, the rfkill object is still possible be dereferenced.
The crash trace in latest kernel (5.18-rc2):
[ 68.760105] ================================================================== [ 68.760330] BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in __lock_acquire+0x3ec1/0x6750 [ 68.760756] Read of size 8 at addr ffff888009c93018 by task fuzz/313 [ 68.760756] [ 68.760756] CPU: 0 PID: 313 Comm: fuzz Not tainted 5.18.0-rc2 #4 [ 68.760756] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.14.0-0-g155821a1990b-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 [ 68.760756] Call Trace: [ 68.760756] <TASK> [ 68.760756] dump_stack_lvl+0x57/0x7d [ 68.760756] print_report.cold+0x5e/0x5db [ 68.760756] ? __lock_acquire+0x3ec1/0x6750 [ 68.760756] kasan_report+0xbe/0x1c0 [ 68.760756] ? __lock_acquire+0x3ec1/0x6750 [ 68.760756] __lock_acquire+0x3ec1/0x6750 [ 68.760756] ? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0x410/0x410 [ 68.760756] ? register_lock_class+0x18d0/0x18d0 [ 68.760756] lock_acquire+0x1ac/0x4f0 [ 68.760756] ? rfkill_blocked+0xe/0x60 [ 68.760756] ? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0x410/0x410 [ 68.760756] ? mutex_lock_io_nested+0x12c0/0x12c0 [ 68.760756] ? nla_get_range_signed+0x540/0x540 [ 68.760756] ? _raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0x4e/0x50 [ 68.760756] _raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0x39/0x50 [ 68.760756] ? rfkill_blocked+0xe/0x60 [ 68.760756] rfkill_blocked+0xe/0x60 [ 68.760756] nfc_dev_up+0x84/0x260 [ 68.760756] nfc_genl_dev_up+0x90/0xe0 [ 68.760756] genl_family_rcv_msg_doit+0x1f4/0x2f0 [ 68.760756] ? genl_family_rcv_msg_attrs_parse.constprop.0+0x230/0x230 [ 68.760756] ? security_capable+0x51/0x90 [ 68.760756] genl_rcv_msg+0x280/0x500 [ 68.760756] ? genl_get_cmd+0x3c0/0x3c0 [ 68.760756] ? lock_acquire+0x1ac/0x4f0 [ 68.760756] ? nfc_genl_dev_down+0xe0/0xe0 [ 68.760756] ? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0x410/0x410 [ 68.760756] netlink_rcv_skb+0x11b/0x340 [ 68.760756] ? genl_get_cmd+0x3c0/0x3c0 [ 68.760756] ? netlink_ack+0x9c0/0x9c0 [ 68.760756] ? netlink_deliver_tap+0x136/0xb00 [ 68.760756] genl_rcv+0x1f/0x30 [ 68.760756] netlink_unicast+0x430/0x710 [ 68.760756] ? memset+0x20/0x40 [ 68.760756] ? netlink_attachskb+0x740/0x740 [ 68.760756] ? __build_skb_around+0x1f4/0x2a0 [ 68.760756] netlink_sendmsg+0x75d/0xc00 [ 68.760756] ? netlink_unicast+0x710/0x710 [ 68.760756] ? netlink_unicast+0x710/0x710 [ 68.760756] sock_sendmsg+0xdf/0x110 [ 68.760756] __sys_sendto+0x19e/0x270 [ 68.760756] ? __ia32_sys_getpeername+0xa0/0xa0 [ 68.760756] ? fd_install+0x178/0x4c0 [ 68.760756] ? fd_install+0x195/0x4c0 [ 68.760756] ? kernel_fpu_begin_mask+0x1c0/0x1c0 [ 68.760756] __x64_sys_sendto+0xd8/0x1b0 [ 68.760756] ? lockdep_hardirqs_on+0xbf/0x130 [ 68.760756] ? syscall_enter_from_user_mode+0x1d/0x50 [ 68.760756] do_syscall_64+0x3b/0x90 [ 68.760756] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae [ 68.760756] RIP: 0033:0x7f67fb50e6b3 ... [ 68.760756] RSP: 002b:00007f67fa91fe90 EFLAGS: 00000293 ORIG_RAX: 000000000000002c [ 68.760756] RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: 00007f67fb50e6b3 [ 68.760756] RDX: 000000000000001c RSI: 0000559354603090 RDI: 0000000000000003 [ 68.760756] RBP: 00007f67fa91ff00 R08: 00007f67fa91fedc R09: 000000000000000c [ 68.760756] R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000293 R12: 00007ffe824d496e [ 68.760756] R13: 00007ffe824d496f R14: 00007f67fa120000 R15: 0000000000000003
[ 68.760756] </TASK> [ 68.760756] [ 68.760756] Allocated by task 279: [ 68.760756] kasan_save_stack+0x1e/0x40 [ ---truncated---
Weakness: CWE-416
Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-49505?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2022-49505?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.
Is CVE-2022-49505 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-49505 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2022-49505, GHSA-m645-2c8g-gg4p, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-49505.